Fabricio Werdum: I Want to Show Everyone I Am Ready to Be UFC Champion

Nogueira was an established commodity, a former
Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight titlist and one of the
best big men in the sport. Werdum, by contrast, held just a third
of Nogueira’s pro experience and relied almost exclusively on his
world-class jiu-jitsu game. “Minotauro” outmaneuvered Werdum at
Pride “Critical Countdown Absolute,” picking up a unanimous
decision victory to advance in the promotion’s 2006 openweight
grand prix.

Now, “Vai Cavalo” will square off with Nogueira once again in the
main event of
UFC on Fuel TV 10, which takes place this Saturday at the Paulo
Sarasate Gymnasium in Fortaleza, Brazil. Almost seven years after
his initial defeat to Nogueira, Werdum says their rematch will tell
a new story.

“I think this fight will be a lot different than our last fight in
2006. I was a newcomer, but ‘Minotauro’ was already a champion in
the event. He was already very famous in MMA. I was purely a
jiu-jitsu fighter,” Werdum recently told UFC.com. “He used his
experience against me as a young, new fighter. I lost to him, but I
learned a lot from that loss.”

Werdum believes the strides he has taken in recent years toward
becoming a truly well-rounded fighter will pay dividends on
Saturday. Specifically, Werdum cites the development of his
striking game under respected trainer Rafael
Cordeiro as a major source of confidence.

“The main difference for me in this fight is that I’ve specialized
and evolved in my career. Today, I’m a more complete fighter, and
I’m specialized in muay Thai, as well,” said Werdum. “I’ve been
training with Rafael
Cordeiro for five years now. That completely changed my game.
I’m not saying that I’m a striker now, but I gotten better in
everything, like how it should be.”

The upcoming clash with Nogueira marks the second time in as many
bouts that Werdum has fought in his home country, a fact that has
the jiu-jitsu ace excited to put forth a memorable performance.

“I think it will be great to fight in Brazil again. I will always
say that I am proud to represent Brazil. I want to put on a great
fight for the fans. All I want right now is to have a beautiful
fight with ‘Minotauro,’” said Werdum. “I want this to be an
impressive fight. I want to show everyone that I am ready to be the
world champion, and I think it will be a great fight because both
[of us] will show our will to win.”

For Werdum, Nogueira simply represents the next challenge in a long
line of obstacles he has overcome as a competitor. While “Vai
Cavalo” unquestionably respects his countryman, he is also aware
that his path to the UFC heavyweight title runs through
Nogueira.

“I’ve always had great willpower to get what I really want. Every
time I set my mind to something, I go and get it, and now I am so
close to that belt after so much has happened in my career,” said
Werdum. “I’ve been on top and fell. Now I am climbing back up. I
have this great dream of becoming the UFC heavyweight champion. In
the beginning, my dream was to become a jiu-jitsu world champion,
and I did it twice. I am dedicated, and I am doing the right
things.

“I know I have a big obstacle in my way with ‘Minotauro,’ but I
will give my best to defeat him and to achieve my goal to get that
belt. I’ve always chased my dreams, and I’ve always achieved them.
That’s why I know I will be UFC champion.”